Our Wedding Day
May 7, 2026
Our Journey to Marriage
April 2024 - Omishima, Japan
We are sitting across from one another in a quaint Italian restaurant run by a young and beautiful Japanese couple. It is a few weeks into our one-month trip in Asia, where we have basked beneath cherry blossoms, dipped in waterfalls, savored fresh sushi, explored mountain temples, and spent more time together than we ever have before. Holding hands across the oak table, we giggle and gaze into one another's eyes as a candle flickers, casting a soft glow across our faces. Between bites of fresh pasta and sips of wine, it is here that we express a desire to marry one another one day. Suspended in sweetness, we share from the heart our vulnerabilities and visions, our intentions and dreams for a future together.
Jan 2025 - Barre, Massachusetts
We have been meditating in silence for 9 days at the Insight Meditation Society. A center tucked into the New England forest and a refuge for Justin, who has returned year after year to practice with his teachers and sangha. Kailey, a meditator herself, joined him on retreat for the first time. On the closing night, a New Year's ceremony unfolds, during which we release what no longer serves us and set intentions for the year ahead. Our teacher, Catherine, beckons Kailey outside into the brisk winter night. Kailey, in a flurry, doesn’t even put on her shoes to find Justin standing there. He breaks his silence and asks: "Here, beneath the full moon, where we are held and we are free — will you marry me?"
May 2026 - Torpoint, England
We are standing on an emerald cliffside overlooking Whitsand Bay. Behind us rise the ancient ruins of St. Michael's Chapel. Along the hilltop, foxgloves and bluebells bristle in the wind as the sun slowly descends, leaving the land awash in golden light. Justin is dressed in teal green; Kailey in cream and rose with flowers adorning the waves of her hair. The ceremony, officiated by Catherine and her husband Yanai, is woven together with meditation, lineage and ancestry, song, sermon, handfasting, and our vows spoken from the heart. Our friend Aaron captures the moment with his camera while Kate, his wife, bears our rings and witnesses our union. It is here that we become husband and wife.
